Paris – Smart City of the Future

From car-sharing systems to electric scooters
to flying cars, Paris encourages smart city initiatives such as shared mobility
and environmentally friendly alternatives to counter problems like traffic
congestion and air pollution. Mobility strategies are important in a thriving
city’s development and its future looks promising.

Scooter Sharing

Riding around the city on an electric scooter
is possibly one of the best ways to see the city. However, the rise of the
scooter sharing system has been described as anarchic and locals have strongly
expressed their discontent. Scooters littering the pavements and pedestrian
related accidents has led to French policy makers working on a mobility law.
Once the law will be passed, companies will have to go through a strict
selection process where only two or three licenses will be handed to operators.
Restrictions have already been implemented to regulate the frenzy. It is now
illegal to ride scooters on pavements and in parks and they cannot be parked on
pavements. From July 1, users will be fined on the spot for breaking any of these rules.

Car Sharing

Vehicle sharing systems in the capital have
grown since their introduction almost a decade ago. Following the demise of
Autolib’ and Velib’, the future of the sharing system seemed bleak and
uncertain. This presented an opportunity for various car sharing operators to
launch their fleets includiding Car2Go, Renault etc. In May, the City of Paris
launched a new car-sharing service Mobilib’, relying on various operators which
include Ubeeqo, Ada, Communauto and Drivy. This fleet includes electric and
thermal vehicles. Such initiatives hope to decrease single car usage in the
city.

Flying Cars

As futuristic and ambitious as it sounds,
flying mobility services have the full support of authorities. Airbus and
transport service operator RATP have been looking into the possibility of
introducing air mobility services in the capital. Different countries have projects
underway and there is already a regulation. It is indeed a race but there is no
rush in implementing the technology as safety and practicality are priorities.

Integrated technology-driven approaches are
adopted to effectively meet changing user demands. Smart city uses machine learning algorithms, automation
and the internet of things (IoT) to bring us solutions that will facilitate and
create an enjoyable urban experience which includes retail, hospitality and
working spaces. Boundless Digital is strongly aligned with smart city concepts.
Using compliance anonymized consented data collection to make living in the
city an enjoyable experience. With the Olympics around the corner, how will the
City of Paris and local businesses take advantage of smart city initiatives to
host millions of visitors in a city already frequented by millions?